Mount Laffee Eruption

I want to discuss the earth movements within the coal region. I am not talking about Sharp Mountain with its visible subsidence. Nor, am I talking about when frenetic polka dancing gets out of hand and the foot stomping creates those tremors that you feel beneath your feet. Forget it; I am not even talking about the vibrations along Market Street during Cruise Night. For Pete’s sake, I am talking about real-life earthquakes and lava spitting volcanoes, just like in the movies. You know, like that flic “Volcano” starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ann Heche that is on AMC every other week. I would pass on that one and recommend that you rent “Godzilla 1985” at West Coast that features the famed lizard king trapped within a volcano.

“When mankind falls into conflict with nature, monsters are born.”

That was the best line in the film and words to live by, even twenty years later. You may think I am joking, but earthquakes do happen in Pennsylvania. In 1954, over one million dollars in damage was caused in Wilkes-Barre by two nasty tremors. As for volcanoes, there are more than 500 in the world and Schuylkill County is home of the littlest one – yes, the runt of the world’s volcanic litter. Although it has been dormant for over one hundred years, the St. Clair area is the home of Mount Laffee – “the Vesuvius of Schuylkill County.”
To be precise, Laffee is located between Pottsville and St. Clair. No, I am not talking about the Fairlane Village Mall, although that is also located between Pottsville and St. Clair. It is safe to go there and shop without fear of lava spills. Speaking of the Mall, what the heck is a “Fairlane Village” anyway? “Fairlane” doesn’t even appear in my Dictionary. “Fairlane” was a 1960’s Ford muscle car, and it is obvious that the owners of the nearby Ford dealership, who owned the land that the Mall was built upon, picked the name to promote one of its best selling cars. The Mall was named to help promote sales of the Ford motor vehicles for crying out loud. Luckily for all of us that it was not called “Pinto Village.” Well, back to seismology.
The county’s volcanic explosion occurred on April 24, 1879. The day before gave little indication that Mount Laffee would finally erupt. People were going about their usual Schuylkill activities of funnel-cake making, cashing disability checks and purchasing lottery tickets. At about 1:30 on the afternoon of the 24th, there was a tremendous roar and a gargantuan column of flames with rocks, smoke and dust gushing from the summit of their beloved Broad Mountain. Historical records indicate that the explosion could be heard as far away as Pitman and Clamtown. Luckily the villagers were able to get out of the way of the cataclysmic blast, but the lush landscape never recaptured its beauty. Take a ride near Wadesville and you can see the devastation caused by Laffee’s fury. Strip mining had nothing to do with what you see; it can all be blamed on the volcano. If it were not for the volcano, the area would now be a forested paradise.
At first, the people living nearby obviously attributed this eruptive activity to the wrathful Pele, goddess of volcanoes. This was the most logical explanation at the time. However, the more educated people of Pottsville scoffed at this superstitious perception. After an emergency town meeting at the Majestic Theatre, the consensus was that the hot lava and clouds of dust came from the fire god, Vulcan, who lived somewhere in the fiery netherworld located between Gilberton and Mahanoy City. Suddenly, someone in the crowd got up and yelled, “The god had to be appeased and we must search for a virtuous woman right away!” Regardless of how expensive and time-consuming, many in the crowd agreed and headed to the door to commence the search. It was not until one brave Pottsville High science teacher stood up on the stage and made it publicly known that volcanic eruptions are not super-natural, but rather part of the earth’s digestive system; comparing it eating too much hot sausage and city chicken during the American Way Fair. He described in detail how these volcanoes are studied and interpreted by scientists. The unruly crowd was told that that Mahanoy City, despite its appearance, was not part of the netherworld, and that Vulcan wasn’t a god but only a Winter Carnival celebrity, so they should forget about their search for a virtuous woman in Pottsville.
And that’s the way it was back on April 24, 1879 – the day that Mount Laffee erupted.